Agreement Signed to Give Australian Customers Access to Greater Technical Choice and Open Source Expertise for Spring

SYDNEY, 11 November, 2008 – Object Consulting, a specialist Australian consultant and developer of enterprise software solutions, has signed an agreement to become the first Australian strategic integrator partner of California-based software company SpringSource, the company behind Spring, the de facto standard in enterprise Java. Under terms of the agreement, Object becomes a Premier System Integrator Partner of SpringSource. As a result of the partnership, Australian customers will have access to greater technical choice and open source expertise for Spring-based technologies as well as for a wider range of innovative solutions from Object.

SpringSource’s Application Platform is a collection of products designed to provide the optimal environment to build, run and manage enterprise Java applications that utilise Spring-based technologies. The SpringSource dm Server was designed from the ground up using OSGi for complete portability and scalability in today’s data center and for next-generation virtualized, grid and cloud deployments.

Object Consulting has been actively using open source software for many years and almost all the Java solutions developed by Object use some part of the SpringSource and the Spring product portfolio.  Following demand from customers, Object approached SpringSource to establish a partnership that would enable Object to locally support solutions that incorporate Spring.

As a Premier System Integration Partner, Object will have direct access to SpringSource for the latest software releases for products from the SpringSource Application Platform as well as for SpringSource Enterprise Ready Server. SpringSource Enterprise Ready Server is the only comprehensive enterprise solution for Apache Web and Tomcat application server management and the most widely distributed Web infrastructure stack in Global 2000 enterprises.

Object can access SpringSource’s technical experts, product development roadmaps, joint marketing initiatives and is eligible for discounted training for employees. Object also sees a future opportunity to build products and solutions around SpringSource technology. Additionally, Object Training, the commercial training division of Object Consulting, will be the exclusive training partner for SpringSource in Australia. Training, to be delivered by SpringSource certified instructors, will be marketed nationally by Object.

This partnership brings together Object Consulting’s leadership in delivering enterprise business solutions, and SpringSource’s expertise in building, running and managing enterprise Java applications,” said Steve Morris, Australian country manager for SpringSource. “Together, we will provide our Australian clients a complementary set of training, consulting services and commercial products for the enterprise Java market to gain competitive advantage through increased productivity and efficiency.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr Julian Edwards, Chief Operating Officer, Object Consulting, said, “Object is delighted to become SpringSource’s first integrator partner in Australia. As a vendor neutral company, Object has always sought to build relationships with exceptional and innovative organisations whose capabilities complement our own. SpringSource is highly regarded in the open source community and most developers would put Spring at the top of the list of frameworks that are key to an enterprise Java project.  Their products have always been a natural fit for the solutions Object builds and we believe this strategic partnership is an important step forward in building on Object’s strong track record of delivering open source software solutions to solve complex business problems.”

Object Training is already marketing SpringSource training courses. Courses include:

• Building Java Applications Using Spring/Hibernate/JSF
• Core Spring
• Core Hibernate
• Core Web Services
• Developing Rich Web Applications with Spring

Full details of the courses available through Object Training, including course costs, are available from www.objecttraining.com.au or by phoning 1300 360 203.

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About Object Consulting Pty Ltd
Object Consulting is Australia's leader in delivering enterprise business solutions through the innovative use of component technologies such as Enterprise Java, Microsoft .NET and Open Source.

Since 1989, Object has been delivering cost-effective and technically excellent IT solutions that help differentiate organisations from their competitors and bring about competitive advantage through increased productivity and efficiency. Object has demonstrated a commitment to utilising industry best practice to create robust, reliable, scaleable and secure systems through the development of a world-class, architecture-centric, process driven approach called Process Mentor.

Object’s proven ability to deliver successful outcomes and outstanding business value is demonstrated by an impressive track record of delivering software engineering services to many of Australia’s largest enterprises and Government departments.

About SpringSource
SpringSource created Spring, the de facto standard platform to build, run and manage enterprise Java applications. SpringSource is also the leading support provider for Apache Tomcat. The SpringSource dm Server was designed from the ground up using OSGi for complete portability and scalability in today’s data center and for next-generation virtualized, grid and cloud deployments. Nearly half of the Global 2000, including many of the world’s largest financial institutions, retailers, manufacturers, healthcare, technology and public sector clients are SpringSource customers. For more information visit:  www.springsource.com.

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For additional information, please contact:
Tracy Pendergast, Pentica PR: 0411 034 868 or via e-mail tracy@pentica.com.au on behalf of Object Consulting Pty Ltd